Post Trip Blogs and Reflections

Check out the blogs and video reflections of Jackson team members after returning home.

It is our prayer that our journey in doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly would not end here, but that God would continue to move and work in our hearts, bringing forth His Kingdom, here and now.

The Choice to Move

Coming back to California, staring at all the LA traffic, it hit me. It’s over. I went to Jackson, I learned a lot, and now it’s done. All the good times I had, listening to John Perkins speak, living in that house, was over, and there was nothing I could do about it. But as I sat there, I began to realize something. It’s not over. This is just the beginning. I didn’t have to come back from this trip thinking “what a great experience, too bad it’s over.” I can turn what I’ve learned into a lifestyle. I don’t have to take my memories put them in an album, talk about them for a week or two and then store it away in a box or in the back of my mind. I can live it out! I knew having this mindset wasn’t going to be easy. I would go back to school, to people that wouldn’t understand what this trip meant to me, or to people that refuse to open their hearts and minds to hear what I have to say. I also wouldn’t have the Jackson team to help me out as much. During the trip, I felt like they were carrying me and helping me learn and grow to become the person God wants me to be. Now, coming back, I have to walk alone and grow and learn by myself. I won’t be carried anymore. It’ll be my turn and I’m afraid that I’m going to fall. But I can choose to have that fear consume, discourage me, and hold me back and I can remain stranded, OR in the words of John Perkins “have courage, and follow my convictions in the face of fear,” and MOVE. I can take what I’ve learned and apply it to my life and teach others to do the same. Even though I won’t have my team there every step of the way, I’ll have God and He will strengthen me in so many ways. He will lead and help me if stumble and help me to be Joshua to my school and community. On that bus, thinking of all these things as I began to fall asleep, I made a choice. To Move.


Kara

Glowing

'In this world of darkness people listen to those who glow.'

 My experience in Jackson, MS. was an eye opener and my heart was changed.

My time of devotions and experiences with fellow Christians reminds me of the many lessons learned in Jackson MS. And now, weeks later, from our return from Jackson we are more aware of injustice happening even in today’s society.

I ask, Can we as high school students; and as a team, make a change in this broken world?

As we go further and further from the week of service, in all that we have learned, and been equipped, is it harder to take a stand?

Sadly, our glow, our inspiration, our emotional high, maybe is slowly fading as we move about in such a secular reality that is all around us.
 Today I heard a great message that strengthen and encouraged me to not loss hope.

I am reminded that prayer changes things and brings up a glow that reflects the glory of God and will attract others live differently.

Luke 9:28 is where Jesus and three of his disciples go up to the mount of transfiguration to pray. After he had finished praying, the disciples saw that His face was glowing brightly, the appearance of his face changed. Prayer doesn’t just change our appearance before others, but makes a difference from inside out. In Exodus 24 Moses also goes up a mountain. He is up there for forty days and forty nights, In the presence of the Lord. (This is when he receives the Ten Commandments) Later in Exodus 34 Moses comes down from the mountain and his face was glowing! The children of Israel saw this and were in awe and wanted to hear everything Moses had to say. They saw God through him, and knew that God was with him. Paul lets us now in 2 Corinthians 3 that Mosses' glow was fading away! Because of this he would go and be with the Lord and the glow would return to him and the people will continue to listen to what he had to say; after awhile the glow would fade away and he would have to 'recharge the glow' in the presence of the Lord. The point is that Moses knew that he needed to be recharged if he was going to affectively lead the people of Israel.
 He knew that in order for things to be impacting and affecting, it wasn't just about changing things, but him being altered personally. Spending time and seeking after God gives us a 'glow' in which others will see and want. The glory of God is reflected in our lives and this brings about change in others and ourselves.

- Sam P.

3D & the big picture

Have you ever seen something in 3D? Three dimensional stuff is so cool; it’s a graphic display of depth, width, and height. It’s overall a enhanced picture of something. As I look back to our trip in Jackson, I see the story, no the legacy of Medgar Evers leave a deep 3D image in my mind.

While we were in Mississippi we had the privilege to go to the house of a leader in the struggle for justice and equality. For those of you who do not know, Medgar was a field secretary for the national association for the advancement of colored people (NAACP). This man was someone that decided to stand up for justice and fight for equality. He was murdered in the front of his house because of what he fought for. This tragedy is real, and it even becomes more real when you stand in the mist of where this took place. As our group sat in on the drive way of this brave man, of this role model, questions started to bombard my mind.

Why was he willing to stand up for what he believed in? Am I willing to do the same? What am I standing up for? Do I take courage and uphold it when it seems like I am the only one? What am I willing to sacrifice so that God can be glorified? What can I do in this struggle in finding meaning and purpose in life? Am I fighting against all that comes against what God has called me to be, to become? Do I have courage when others around me are choosing the way of self pleasure? As those questions came I didn’t want them to escape me without giving an answer. I want to live my life with a purpose and I want to follow the example of Christ.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

As we see the big picture. As we step outside of our box of comfort, we are able to see God’s desire for us in 3D.What are we going to d o about it? Or better yet, what are we willing to sacrifice, our time? Our energy? Our dreams? Our own desires? Our money? or even our life?


- Tiffany

what a week

This week for me has been such an impactful week, and i know I myself can speak on everyone else' behalf that they feel the same way I do. I mean if people back at home and at OC could see what I have seen, learn what I have learned and taken in, talk with whom I have talked with, felt within my heart what I have felt, thought the thoughts I have thought, overall, experience what I have experienced and shed the tears for what I have shed them for, our school, our student body would have no problem with the transformation and renewing of their hearts. If only my friends, my peers and even my family could have been in my shoes, just had my experience and gained this knowledge, they could get a taste of this unforgetable experience to Jackson Mississippi!


Sincerely,
Cameron Marshaun Levise

My Day in Jackson, Mississippi

Hello, ok so today was the coolest day ever! First of all we ate breakfast and had devotions with Lowell, then we headed out and had a private tour with our very own Wayne (Mr. Perkins' son). It was awesome; we saw railroad tracks that were blocked by school busses in the (I believe) in the same position where they were placed to block the protesting and boycotts that John and Vera Mae Perkins organized. We got to see a court house and also Mendenhall. We took a million pictures and it was so much fun! We also went to Fisherman (a buffet) for lunch. And I must say that it was the best buffet place that i have ever been to! Oh, and don't get me started with desert. It almost tasted like heaven, It was awesome!! Anyways, after that we went to Medgar Evars home, where he was shot on June 11, 1963. We toured inside his house seeing every room and how the kids beds were lowered so they would stay away from a sniper shot through the windows. I also got to see the magazine where Mrs. Evers was shown being at her husbands funeral with her son. Now, the part of the tour that really stuck out to me were the stains of blood that were left in Medgar Evans driveway. For me it got me thinking on the way that white people had so much hatred toward black people. My question is, Where did all of this hatred originate? What happened? So many years, black people have been murdered, brutally tortured, women have been raped, babies have been killed and for what? Being treated like animals for so long, to me seems extremely inhuman. And for racist white people to go so low as to assasinate Medgar Evers, an innocent men just fighting for justice, to be shot at in front his own family, to me that is definetly wrong in so many ways and its unacceptable. So, after that we went to the Medgar Evars Library we saw a documentary or more like an interview that show'd Medgar Ever had, just a year before his assassination. In the interview, Medgar was asked how he felt about dying. His answer rocked my world because he said that even though he had billions of threats and had a bombed thrown in his own home, he said that when it came to his time, he would be ready. This inspired me a lot because here's is a man that jeopardized himself and his own family to stand up for what was right. For Justice. To see this man to have the guts to do this, only makes me want to go home and fight for justice even though they are really little things, like not cheating. Later in the day we went and visited the radio station, where Medgar Evers brother worked at and he talked to us about what he believed in and why. Though we had a long conversation, what stuck out to me the most is they was he was so straight forward with us, no lies. Also, he told us that he hated it when guys wore the pants low, smoking sope and earring in their ears. And i completely agree with him becuase as black people they are supposed to portray all of black people. He also said that he was very dissappointed when he saw black people not taking advantages of the education that was given to them. I also agree with him here becuase there are a lot of black teenagers that don't care and don't appreciate what other people have done for them in order for them to be free and to not be grateful is wrong.

Open Eyes

Today has taught me in such an inspirational way. I learned about strength, courage, sacrifice, and trust through amazing people who were ordinary people. Today we went to the place where Medgar Evers was shot and killed. My heart broke and I cried as looked at the home, heard the story, and met his daughter, Reena Evers. My heart was torn and I felt pain for them. My heart was pulled at even more when I saw their strength and trust in God. Medgar Evers sacrificed his life to help others. His family was left broken hearted. Their father and husband was gone. They did not get angry with God, but rather they found strength in Him and trusted in Him. As I reflect on this I have to ask myself some questions. When did I become so comfortable in my relationship with God? When did I become so content when I am so blessed? How can i possibly take everything for granted? When did I become so blind? I am thankful, so very thankful, that God still loves me. I have not had such heart breaking experiences as the Evers did. So why am I so ungrateful? God carries me and blesses me everyday. He has put special people in my life and given me many opportunities. He has protected me and called me His own, yet I ignore Him, and put my trust in myself. It is about time for me to realize I need to lose myself in Him in order to find myself in Him. I need to live my life for Him and lean on Him. I can not believe how selfish I really am. It is not about me. It is about Him. I praise God for opening my eyes. I am ready to lay my life down to live for Him because I am His and Jesus laid His life down and died for me so that I could be His. Please pray for me to stay on this path and to truly become God's disciple. I also challenge you to look at what God has done for you. I thank God for people like Reena Evers who has opened up her heart to speak to people. I thank God for all the people supporting me in my walk with God. I pray that God blesses all of you. Let's put our trust and our lives in God's hands, because if Jesus is in the boat, the boat will float! God bless you!
-Kelsey

Hello! This morning John Perkins came and spoke to us about Kadesh Barnea. This is where the Israelites camped outside the Promised Land and sent spies into Canaan. After failing to enter the Promised Land and returning to the wilderness for 40 years, the Israelites returned to this certain place once again. JP talked about how God told Moses that he would not see the promise land and that Joshua would lead them in to Canaan. JP said that the Moses’ of our time have passed. They were unable to get our society to the Promise Land. MLK, John Perkins, Ghandi, and many other significant leaders have gotten people out of oppression and it is now time for the new generation to lead society in to the Promise Land. I really liked this idea. It was empowering, but at the same time it scared me. This really is the time that things can change. I am ready. We also read parts of Deuteronomy and Numbers. We discussed the roles of Moses and Joshua. I realized that Moses, although he did wrong, pleaded with God to have pity on the people. I admired this about Moses. Although the people were complaining and Moses was not able to enter into the Promise Land, he pleaded with God to have pity on the Israelites. It was interesting to read about the parallels between Moses and the Israelites to the Civil Rights Movement. I think we are all having a wonderful time here in Jackson. Not only is it an experience of a lifetime, we are learning valuable lessons that I hope we will take back home to California and show justice.

-Jessamyn Libolt

"What is Dr. Perkins doing on the roof?"

Yesterday I had the privilege of spending some quality time alone with Dr. Perkins. The funny thing is that it didn’t happen at the dinner table or in the car, it happened on the roof of a 3-story house (you have to remember this man turns 80 this June.) I was up on the roof patching a water leak and Dr. Perkins figured that he needed to help since I was up there in the sun by myself. While we were waiting for some supplies to come up, it gave us time to take a good look at the entire Perkins Foundation because we were up so high. Dr. Perkins said, “this place is going to be beautiful when were done with it” and I told him “JP, you know this place is already beautiful.” He totally agreed with me and I saw it in his eyes that he was in love with what God was doing in the ministry here. He kept repeating to me how he had everything he wanted and how he knew God was working here in West Jackson. How many people can actually say that when they look at their work, even in ministry? It makes me think. I hope that I can find a way to follow God’s will in a way that makes me fall in love with my ministry, no matter what that is.

-Sam Chappell

Cary, MS

"the coolest thing ever"

Cameron, Aaron and I left the Perkins Center to cut down trees due to the hurricane season. They didn’t want the trees to fall onto the houses. After trial and error, we found a technique that was successful. Through many hours, we continued to cut down trees; once they had fallen we would cut them in order to carry them onto the truck. While I was in the middle of carrying two branches I heard a slow yet alarming sound of the trunk cracking as they were cutting down a tree. I looked back and without thinking, I took off into a run and didn’t stop until I heard the branches hit the ground behind me. Once I looked back, I realized I had only made it out from under the trunk by a few feet. Cameron and Aaron stood astonished but quickly told me it was the “coolest thing ever”.

-Sam Pflucker

Tuesday Video Update

More work... More fun :)

Different Cultures

Today was fun! I went to a wonderful church called "New Horizon." It was a wonderful church b/c seeing all the different cultures in the church. During church I was thinking how people are so passion about God. We need to show this passion every where b/c we need to show people how much we love God. When we got back from church,we had one of the brunches I ever had in a long time. The food was papas, french toast, and ham. After we ate we had free time. Cameron and I beasted in scrabble. While we played scrabble we watched the movie "October Sky." The movie was pretty cool. When our free time Dr. Lowell came over and gave a devotion. After Dr. Lowell finished his devotion we had an Easter hunt and of course my team won the Easter hunt. When we finished the Easter hunt, Cameron and I played basketball with two people who lived in the community. When I was playing with them I was thinking how we live in different states, we can still come together and play basketball. The guy told us to work hard and never give up our dreams. That just touched me b/c people back home say that and it shows how people act the same, even they have different cultures. We lost to them by two. That was my day on Easter Day.

Aaron Ramirez

Let the Work Begin!

Video of Day 1

Hey ya'll, this is Alex Wright typing to you. One of the responsibilities that I have during this week as a chaperon is to video the students and their activities throughout the day. Here is this first one that I have made this year. I hope you enjoy!!



Canadians these days!!



For you Mr. John Chappell

Easter Sunday

Wade In The Water

An old black man once sang, Wade In The Water, a negro spiritual. Today I saw how far we have come as a people... How the dreams of my ancestors have been fulfilled through me. Seeing where Martin Luther King Jr was shot and an underground railroad station, opened my eyes. He saw a need for CHANGE and decided through faith and actions "We Shall Overcome" because he knew that faith without action is dead. So seeing where we, as African-Americans, were 45 years ago and where we are today made a tremendous difference in my life. As an African-American, I need to take advantage of all my opportunities and choose to "make the difference that I want to see in the world," as said by Ghandi. There is a quote that I love and it says, "Even in the midst of our worst struggles, our forefathers knew that a part of our advancement and growth began with a sound education." We should not complain and as proud African-Americans we should hold our heads up high and repeat the words of Martin Luther King Jr. "Free at last, Free at last...Thank God Almightily we are Free at last".

Sara Luttrell

MEMPHIS!

VideoLogging #1

Travel